Holiday giant TUI has issued urgent advice to help travellers avoid any bank holiday weekend airport chaos. Nearly 290,000 seats have been cut from bank holiday flight schedules in recent weeks, with several airlines cancelling flights.
Most of the cancellations were caused by staff shortages across the aviation industry, which has led to caps on operations at airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick. This has disrupted the plans of millions of holidaymakers this summer and sparked a spike in air fares.
The UK's biggest tour operator has escaped the worst of the disruption and urged holidaymakers to continue to follow its guidelines for a smooth travel experience. In an update to passengers, TUI stated: "We would like to apologise to some of our customers who have experienced flight delays recently.
"As the UK’s biggest holiday company, our priority is to take customers on holiday safely. We continue to work closely with our airport partners to monitor the situation and continue to provide the best possible holiday experience for our customers."
The firm added: "We are doing everything we can to limit any flight delays, which can happen from time to time for various operational reasons. On the rare occasion flight delays do take place, we will do everything we can to support our customers, through direct communications and providing overnight accommodation and transfers where needed, as well as meals and refreshments.
"We’d like to remind customers not to arrive at the airport too far in advance of their flight, as this can contribute to terminal queueing delays. Standard check-in opens at least two and a half hours before departure time for short and mid-haul flights, and at least three and a half hours before departure for long-haul flights.
"At some airports, we are able to offer day before bag drop and self-service bag drop. You can find more information about these services, as well as our advice for making your airport experience as smooth as possible here."
For more details on TUI travel offers, check here.
